The present invention pertains to personal buoyancy compensating devices (BCDs) used in conjunction with SCUBA dive equipment for underwater travel. In particular, the present invention is a removable cover attachable to, and covering the outside of, a flexible vest or jacket style BCD designed to be worn on the upper torso of a user. The cover functions to protect the outside of the BCD—and its air bladder or cell—from damage from the physical environment.
BCDs were developed as a means of easily and comfortably adjusting a diver's buoyancy in the water. Neutral buoyancy, or positive or negative buoyancy may be desired during the various activities of a single excursion in the water. Normal use of a diver's air supply may affect buoyancy such that adjustment of buoyancy is needed and desired. To control the volume of retained air, a BCD includes a device for inflating with air and a valve for deflating the BCD. Together with physical weights, the BCD is a standard device and method by which buoyancy adjustment is typically accomplished. In addition, a BCD may serve as a safety device—providing a surface float for a diver.
Most early BCDs were formed of an inflatable bladder captured within a separate flexible bag or envelope. The bladder provided a means of retaining a volume of air and the envelope provided protection to the bladder and means of attachment to other equipment and to the diver's body. Most currently popular vest and jacket styled BCDs are formed of a single similar air-retaining envelope. As such, they are not considered to have a separate bladder and therefore most current vest and jacket styled BCDs are known as “bladderless” devices or products. The bladderless BCD is typically formed of two separate layers of relative tough yet flexible rubber or plastic impregnated or covered fabric that are cojoined at their perimeters to create an airtight envelope. This envelope is then filled as needed in use with a quantity of air for buoyancy adjustment. The vest or jacket styled BCD is typically configured to have a flexible body-conforming construction and shape for optimum distribution of the buoyant force of the contained air, and for comfort.
A significant number of sport and recreational divers dive in ship wrecks and underwater caves. However, these locations pose increased risks to both divers and their equipment. A diver traveling through the structure of a submerged ship or a cave, or other potentially hazardous area, may incur abrasion or even puncture of a BCD. With current bladderless BCDs, such a violation of the bladder may render the BCD inoperable, or worse, create a dangerous negative buoyancy condition due to loss of balancing air volume. These types of risks are even more prevalent in the work environments of many commercial and industrial divers and also public service divers such as fire department and similar municipal rescue divers. This risk from potential BCD damage is due, at least in part, to the relatively low strength and toughness of the flexible materials use in construction of jacket styled BCDs.
What is needed is a means of adding to a BCD, particularly flexible bladderless jacket styled BCDs, an external covering that can protect against damage from physical contact by surrounding objects.